We can change each other
by Belllleee
Summary: He hurts. She hurts. They hurt each other - emotionally that is. What happens when Catherine is physically hurt. How do two people who are so unsure of their feelings find a way to come together, to let their eternal love shine? First step: They need to admit they have something that surpasses a casual fling. Second step: Tell the other three magic words 'I love you'.
1. Chapter I

**My first Black Box fan fiction (hopefully with many more to come).**

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

**-BB – **

_**First, you say, you do**__**  
**__**And then you don't**__**  
**__**And then you say, you will**__**  
**__**And then you won't**__****_

_**You're undecided now**__**  
**__**So what are you gonna do?**__****_

_**Now you want to play**__**  
**__**And then it's no**__**  
**__**And when you say, you'll stay**__**  
**__**That's when you go**_

**- BB -**

He woke to the feeling of the suns golden rays creeping though the not-so shut blinds. Turning over he took in the woman next to him, her chest rising lightly as she remained in her deep slumber. With her cocoa eyes, somehow darker than his own, and an obviously pale complexion the brunette didn't stir. She executed her pursuit of him with an abundance of zeal, making it clear that she wanted to be his go-to person beneath the sheets. He tried it; hell he tried it on his second day working at the Cube. It didn't work. Not when you had Catherine Black, the Marco Polo of the brain, her physical appearance alone had men lusting after her – and he was not different, however knowing who she is, her intellect, her thought process; it fueled his desire. It was no secret that he was a womanizer, each of the women he bed knew the score - no strings, no obligations. However when it came to her, as much as he tried to refute it - he couldn't. With her he felt the biggest string of them all, jealousy. The green-eyed monster has featured in his thoughts with alarming frequency lately. The fact that _the cook_ is the one who wraps his arms around her each night kills him inside. It starts a fire deep in his chest, making him feel ready to explode. That this guy gets to see her in most of her off time, get to know her favourite fruit and her breakfast favourites, her comfort movie and how she likes get showers. Another man gets to do that with her, and he never wanted strings with her - he told her this profusely. However, the thought that someone else can be inside her, watch her break in one of her most intimate moments; it left him feeling...unsettled.

The fact that this Will person knew that she had bipolar before he did was also an unpleasant feeling. Why wouldn't she tell him? Not only had they shared a bed, but they are colleagues, friends. As a fellow doctor she matched his intellect, but it surpassed that - her intellect was well above his own (though he would profusely deny it), she was attractive and as much as he loathed to admit it: her compassion and emotional involvement with her patients made her who she was, a better person, a better doctor. He was a fellow brain researcher; what made her think that she couldn't trust him with this nugget of information? When Farah told him about Cat taking his car from the parking garage, he didn't care about the car - it's insignificant - however the possibility that a single hair on her head could be hurt tore him up inside. Not to mention he compounded to her issues, throwing in her face that they were nothing - that she meant nothing. When in actual fact ever since their tryst in the lab he can't get her out of his head, whether it is in his sleep or at work or while operating. His emotions for her were clouding his faith in himself as a surgeon, he felt his judgment impair while she was around, and she just consumed so much of him after a short amount of time. When Dr. Mahmoud told him about Cat suffering from bipolar it was as if everything clicked. Her first high during their first rendezvous - it wasn't a high, it was a clear head. From the way she always had an abundance of energy to the way she was hot and cold. To the way she cured rabies, she did it and saved a little girl in the process. He had no doubt, the world was better off with Doctor Catherine Black as a neurologist - she is the Marco Polo of the brain. Two days ago when she came back, to see her again, he couldn't even describe how he felt. Anxious? Excited? Concerned? It felt impossible for him to articulate how she could make him feel a plethora of emotions simultaneously. He was so geared up to see her that he called down to reception three times in fifteen minutes. Rationally, he knew she would seek him out, but...But he just needed to see her. He whipped his head around as soon as he heard the delicate knock. "Yeah," he called - knowing it was she.

He set forward on his seat and propped himself onto his feet. He watched as she closed the door behind herself and he rounded the desk immediately. Her eyes looked so sad, she looked so withdrawn. Without even thinking twice he pulled her into his embrace, as if by doing so he could shield her from the worlds horrors. Her arms encircled him too and he grasped at the back of her neck, his eyes screwing tight as he whispered a "hello" into her blouse.

They broke apart a while later, their embrace lasting to long for colleagues – or hell even for their tentative friendship. His voice was thick, "Why didn't you tell me you were bipolar?"

In that moment he saw the fear in her eyes, the fear of him considering her differently, the fear of losing her job, the fear of losing _everything_. "Who told you?"

"Mahmoud." She nodded lightly, "She was there when the parking garage called to say you took about my car," she began to interrupt but he shook his head, "Forget it."

"Who else knows?"

She was scared.

"Owen." She shook her head again and started to pace, "But she only told him when she heard that you were coming back." In that moment Bick realized nothing he could say would make her feel better, but he had to try. "Don't panic, having a medical condition isn't a firing offence."

"Owen warned us, after Dr. Raynoud, we couldn't hide anything that would harm a patient."

"But you never harmed a patient" he interjected, his hand instinctively wanting to reach out to comfort her, he lets it slide back down to his side; in his signature hands on his hips pose.

"But I could have! And Mahmoud knows it," she sounded defeated. The last thing he wanted was for her to be defeated. "What am I going to do?" she asks.

As if there was a choice. "You are going to defend yourself!" she didn't seem convinced. "You are going to walk in there with your head high. You have nothing to be ashamed of." From his entire monologue this was the part he wanted her to hear, that she has nothing to be ashamed of. "This is where you belong." _With me._ She nods slightly, as if she is finally understanding that message, "And I will back you up." He adds, in case she needed the verbal conformation.

Relief washes over her face as she smiles, "Thank you," her head tilting to the side while he takes a step towards her.

"You and me," she looks towards the corner of his desk, "You'll get no more stress from that quarter. We're friends," _as if that was all they are_, "Great friends, right?" he posed the question.

She took a few steps passed him and he looked back towards her while she grasped his wrist. She didn't even pause at the door as she left his office.

Still, the fact that he couldn't give her the comfort he wanted to, it left him feeling...unsettled.

When Carlita ambushed him while he was scrubbing up for surgery, honestly he didn't feel like indulging her. He barely stopped himself from recoiling when she lifted his shirt – though he couldn't sop himself commenting, "Not now."

"I only take five minutes." She says proudly, and he resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

The last time (and the time before that) that he has sex before surgery was with _her_, he couldn't do that with someone else right now.

She leaned against the basin, "I have the key to the pharmaceutical room," she waved the key in front of him in what she assumed was a seductive manner.

He rested his hands on the basin, "I have an over nerve decompression. Now I'm going to have to scrub in again."

She continued to wave the key, "So now that Catherine's back…I'm out? Is that it?"

He began to crowd her space, "Do you really want to do this?" He didn't,

"Yeah," she responded.

He breathed deeply, "Catherine and I are friends, we have a professional relationship." Yep.

He didn't like the laughter that came out of her, "You're in love with her."

Well he wasn't expecting that and he let out an involuntary artificial laugh of his own, "I'm not in love with anybody."

She ghosted her lips over his, "Are you lying to yourself? Or just me?" she walked out and he started blinking profusely.

He does not love Catherine.

He does not love Catherine. Just because the month she was gone he felt like half a person, that doesn't mean it's love. _Right?_

Shaking his head he prepared to scrub up again.

That evening, before he left the hospital he found Carlita and summoned her over, together they walked outside of the cube. "I don't love her, you know." Again, whom was he trying to convince.

She gave him a skeptical look but he just tugged her along towards his car that had been brought out.

That night, physically he was with Carlita but mentally, emotionally he was elsewhere. He knew it and he had assumed that he did too. This was not okay. The way she made him feel was not okay. He had never been so unsure of himself, never had he doubted his 'no strings, no obligations' motto.

Carlita was in the bathroom when a knock at the door interrupted him from pouring the champagne. Wiping his hands on his trousers he opened the door, revealing a tired looking Catherine.

He rested his hand on the door when she whispered, "Hi."

"Hey."

She smiled, "I don't want to disturb you."

He looked inside. Lucky Carlita was still in the bathroom.

"I've been thinking…I don't know, can we rewind the clock?"

He didn't even get a chance to respond. He didn't feel Carlita walk up behind him - he doesn't have that connection with her. He did however see the look on Cat's face, it was a look of hurt – he knew she wouldn't say anything in front of the woman who stood behind him – but beneath her bravado he saw it. It tore him to pieces knowing that he was the one who put it there.

He swallowed and rested his mouth on his palm. _What could he say?_

She looked down, and in that moment he felt worse then the scum at the bottom of a shoe, how could he do that to her?

She walked away and there was nothing he could do to stop her. In that moment it felt as if she was walking away permanently, out of his life for good.

Rationally, he knew that they were colleagues and that they would always be forced to see one another, but the difference between colleagues and…whatever they are is vast.

With a sigh he closed the door, his heart never felt so heavy. While he knew this would only solidify Carlita's opinion that he loved Dr. Black he had to do this. "Do you mind if we postpone tonight?" he asked. Though they both knew it wasn't a question.

The following day he, Dr. Morley and Dr. Mahmoud waiting in Owens' office for Catherine, her patient had a psychotic break. _Just what she needed after last night_. Her first case back and she has to offload apportion of it to Dr. Mahmoud. "Good morning," he said when he noticed her.

"What makes you think it is a psychotic break?"

Both Doctors Mahmoud and Morley explained the reasoning behind why they thought it was a psychotic break. He thought they were wrong. Catherines' hypothesis is sound, and had she made it before they found out she was bipolar – no one would question it, why start now?

"Doctor Mahmoud is taking over the case."

_What?_

You want her to be a doctor? You can't do that if she has kiddie wheels on. If there is a doctor on the planet who knows what she is talking about, it is Doctor Catherine Black. Hell, even the world thinks so – calling her the Marco Polo of the brain! Doing this to her is unfair and unjust, she has earned her respect, she has lost so much – they can't take that too.

"Okay. I don't understand what is going on here. I'm good at this, have you forgotten that?"

Bick glanced at Owen as he started his way towards Catherine, "I told you I am making the decisions. Farah." The pair watched as the two doctors walked out. Catherine made her way to exit the office when Bickman called out, his hand running over his brow, "Hey."

She turned around, "About last night."

She automatically interjected, "It won't happen again." That stung, that she wont feel the need to visit him again? To speak to him outside of the working arena? It hurt. Though, she is following what he asked her to do, to the letter.

"No, no, no," he said in quick succession, shaking his head and making gestures with his hand, "Just…Let me explain. Just listen." He took a few strides towards her, "It was harder than I expected not seeing you for a month, " _understatement _"and we both know what happens when we get together" _mind blowing, toe-curling, out of this galaxy kind of sex that can last for hours_, "so…I was just trying to get you out of my mind." _Because that is where you live, twenty-four hours of each day that is where you reside, everything constantly on replay._

"With Carlita, that's not very gentlemanly of you Bick," she shook her head lightly, tousling around her hair – a colour that has taken on a more amber shade.

With a smirk, "I never was much of a gentleman, and I never wanted to be." That's true. But she changed him, "Until I met you."

They both paused.

Neither of them expected him to say that.

At this point he was as close as he could be to her without touching her lithe form. Reaching out he brushed a few looks off her face, caressing her cheeks until her gaze met his. He gripped either side of her face and melded their mouths together – making them one.

He realized that she wasn't engaging him. She tore herself from him "I can't do this." What can't she do? Be with him? Kiss him? It left a lot of unanswered questions. Before he could question her on this her phone rang.

Catherine had avoided him for the better part of the day, though he was glad that he was able to defend her in front of Dr. Morley. The look on Carlita's face when she overheard how he was describing Cat didn't even make him pause. He just examined her – she was already feeling too many emotions. Emotion equals strings, and strings are one thing he can't do; especially if they aren't with _her_. However, having caught her eye before surgery kept him going through the grueling process, and a small part of him thought that she would be there after he finished; that small part grew in intensity, as she was nowhere to be found. Finally he asked Dr. Morley; he was shocked when the doctor regaled him with the story. "_What?"_ He hit the table in fury. "How can you fire her? Yes she has bipolar but when she is medicated she saves lives, hell even unmedicated she accomplished more than most doctors do in a lifetime. She was going though a low when she scribed herself some pills. She was calling for help and no one was there to listen." As he said it, it was as if it registered for the first time in his head; he failed her - _he wasn't there to listen to her_.

"I'm sorry Bick, there is nothing I can do."

With one last slap at the table Bickman stormed out of the room. Carlita found him on his way to his office and he just pounced on her. Screw his silent agreement with himself, he needed to release some stress. Now, not only is he not friends – nor lovers – with Catherine, Doctor Black was no longer his colleague.

That brings him back to the present; where she lay beside him.

"I can feel you staring at me you know." She opened one chocolate orb as she rolled onto her side.

Little did she know…

He smirked at her, before leaving the warm enclave of the sheets. He couldn't do a morning of debauchery after thinking about Catherine. "I actually need to head to the office to pick up a few things that I left yesterday, in our haste," he adds with a wink. "Mind if we pick this up later?"

They both got dressed in silence. Little did he know that she was the one who spilt the beans on Doctor Black. Little did she know that Doctor Black has consumed him, since the moment he laid eyes on her.

They left the hotel together and he saw her into a cab and his door to his new Audi R8 was open for him, ready to go.

Ten short minutes later he found himself at hospital. He didn't forget anything, he doesn't forget. However he knew Doctor Catherine Black, he knew that she would want to clear out her office herself, and on Sunday - most of the people on their usual rotation have time off; just like themselves. Deciding that it was probably to or early for her to be in, he made his way to his office to get ahead on some of his paperwork.

An hour later, and four phone calls to the front desk there was still no sign of Catherine. Deciding to give his paperwork a break, Ian went to stretch his legs. He found himself being drawn to the lobby of the building. Leaning over the desk and conversing with the nurse on duty he stopped when he saw an EMT staff rush into the building.

"Female, 32, she was unconscious for fifteen minutes, hit by a drunk driver, she has a glass shard imbedded into her stomach and cranial swelling." Everyone immediately got out of the way. That's when Bick saw her.

No. _No._ **NO. **

He immediately rushed to the gurney.

There was red liquid coating her own red hair – blood had never looked so potent and thick to him before, it was dried around her face; accentuating her pallor. All in all it had a macabre feel to it.

Machines started beeping profusely, she was crashing. Bick jumped into doctor mode, yelling instructions he hopped onto the gurney with her and started chest compressions "Come on Cat. Come on..." He trailed off as a nurse placed a defibrillator over her mouth. He felt the gurney come to a stop and he quickly hopped off, noticing that blood was coating his shirt. "Wait!" He called. "She has another bleed." In that moment the EMTs accompanying them looked worried. Carefully they turned her over discovering a piece of metal near the middle of her back - too close to her spine for his liking.

Bick knew he shouldn't be scrubbing up, that he was far from impartial but he had to do this. He needed to make sure that she had the best possible care and he was the best. If all went well, he wouldn't have to operate, but with all of her other injuries in addition to cranial swelling, they can't be certain.

Ian hadn't even noticed Owen enter the room until he pulled him aside. "The driver, he needs you Bick."

Clenching his eyes shut he slowly let out a breath and shook his head. "I...I can't," Owen was about to interrupt but Bick continued, "I can't be impartial, I can't forget who the patient is. I can't operate on someone who hurt her, I just, I just can't. I wish I could but I am too involved to operate. I - you need to find someone else."

Owen placed a hand on Bicks shoulder, "she is going to be okay, Bick. She has the best possible care in the world. She is a fighter, and we both know that. She is going to be okay." He reiterated.

That was what Bick had to hope for. He scrubbed up proficiently, making sure everything he did was thorough - he couldn't have this wrong, he just couldn't. His own heart stopped for a moment when she was going into V-tac, though resumed beating again when she was stable. He was glad that he didn't need to operate; it would be too much for him.

He watched over, examining everything that the other surgeons were doing, he would have their asses handed to them if they fucked this up. If something happened to Cat because they weren't proficient…He didn't know what he would do.

After the surgery he looked up to the viewing room, seeing Owen smile he returned a small one of his own. She lived to fight another day. Though they would both be happier when she is awake and back on her feet.

Bick took a quick shower and changed into a casual outfit, he wasn't going anywhere - not tonight, preferably ever. She wanted to start over, and he just didn't listen. Now she was too scared to put her heart back on the line – he wasn't going to give her a choice. He needed her, surely enough as he needed air to breath. He understood what it was like to have a near death experience; his own instigated a new depth to he and Catherine's relationship. He just never knew what it felt like to be on this side. The side where you worry, where guilt for all of the things you left unsaid consume you, where you are recalling all of the times you have seen her beautiful face, afraid that if you close your eyes you will see her beautiful features marred with blood.

He leaned heavily on the wall behind him. This is not okay. His feelings for her are not okay. But what is he willing to do. He tried ending it, as if by ending all sexual contact with her he can erase how she felt from his mind, how her head threw back her he found that particularly sensitive spot on the base of her neck. In most ways, it's worse when they aren't sleeping together - he has no way to release all of his pent up emotion; all of the sexual tension the accumulate in any given day. Yes, ending things was worse.

He even tried distracting himself with different women, hoping that in one of them he would find a fraction of what he found in her. A fraction of pure bliss that he rode for barely a month. Yet that month was one of the best, if not the best he had ever experienced.

That leaves one solution, the one less travelled; or in his case, never travelled. This option was not one he felt like he could entertain; maybe it was because he never had before? But then again he had never felt lust so powerful before and agony at the possibility she could be taken away from him forever.

On his way to her room in the ICU he paused as he passed her office door. Closing the door behind him he took the room in. It is so much like her, wild and adventurous as well as extremely competent and proper. On her bookshelf lay three of her own publications among a dozen or so neuro- favourites. A small plastic brain rested on a shelf that he labeled knickknacks. This shelf also contained a photo of her and her niece. **Shit.** In all of his own turmoil he had never thought about calling her family. Fumbling through the bag of her personal belongings he had in his hand he found her phone, with barely 10% battery he scrolled through until he found 'Josh'. It rang once. Twice. A few more times.

"Hi you've reached Josh Black sorry I can't take your call but I am on vacation and won't get cell service. Leave a message."

Great.

Her family was gone. She needs to recover from this alone. Not alone he mentally chastised himself, he would never leave her alone.

He still held her phone in his hand, he noticed 'Will' in the recent activity. Should he? Shouldn't he? Closing his eyes, he contemplated the thought.

**-BB-**

_**I know that my love for you is real**__**  
**__**It's something true that we do, just something natural that I feel**__**  
**__**When you walk in the room, when you're near**__**  
**__**I feel my heart skip a beat, the whole world disappears**__**  
**_

**-BB-**

**A sort of cliffhanger. My first time writing FF in a while (so hopefully it wasn't too bad). I have a few more ideas to get out (as well as continuing this story) but I want to know if season 2 is going to be underway before I post the others. #season2blackbox**

**Now the issue of Catherine's age. I thought she was older, but Esme is around 16 and she had Esme at 16 so…**

**Please review, they are like brain food.**

**I should have the next installment out by the weekend.**

**Good bye for now and lets get writing for this fandom!**


	2. Chapter II

**Installment two.**

**Disclaimer: Yeah…still not mine.**

**-BB-**

_**I wanna wrap the moon around us**_

_**Lay beside you skin on skin**_

_**Make love 'til the sun comes up**_

'_**Til the sun goes down again**_

'_**Cause I need you like a needle needs a vein.**_

**-BB-**

With a sigh he powered down the phone.

This wasn't his call to make.

It wasn't...But if he didn't know where Catherine was and she was injured - he would never forgive himself if he weren't by her side sooner than humanly possible. _She was everything_. She was every breath he took. She was his happy place during every single surgery. She was his everything. Now he just needed to make sure she knew it.

He pocketed the phone and wondered through the windy corridors, finally reaching the closed door of Catherine Blacks residence for the foreseeable future. He laid his palm against the frosted door. As much as he needed to see her, his body ached to consume the same oxygen as she - he can't. How can he see someone he cares so deeply about, someone who is strong in everything she does be reduced to a pile of injuries? If only he knew, if only he urged her to spend the night with him last night. She needed him last night; hell at least to ensure she didn't let the mania consume her. He let his frustration cloud his judgment; leading him right into Carlita's open arms. Never again is he making that mistake.

With a final sigh he grasped the handle tightly in his palm and pushed the door ajar. _He could do this._ He could do this.

His eyes drank in her form. Nurses had cleared the blood caking her hair as well as her face and brushed her hair back. Her lips were a chalky white, pairing well with the hospital gown that adorned her pale flesh. She was warmly ensconced in several blankets - ensuring that she was as comfortable as possible.

He didn't know what he was expecting. But it certainly wasn't this. She looked...she looked so unlike the Catherine Black he knew. And he didn't like it. Not at all.

He willed his legs to move forward and he pulled the chair on the far side of the wall close to her bedside. He literally dropped into the chair. The emotional turmoil and the stress of the day, hell the stress of the past few months has beaten him down till there was nothing left. Though it was she that breathed life back into him. It was as if whenever he was in her presence she could melt down his fears until nothing but happiness remained.

On instinct he placed her palm in his own, his fingers seeking out her pulse, the steady rhythm assuring him of her existence. That she made it. That she rests with him. That they can start their life together.

It was here that he remained - eight hours, unwavering from his position by her bedside. Every two hours they woke her - though she was barely aware of it. Due to her brain swelling they had to ensure that she didn't fall into a coma; unfortunately that meant that she didn't have the highest grade of pain meds available. He hated that he couldn't do anything to alleviate her pain.

He was so deep in his own thoughts that he didn't even notice Owen enter the room.

"Bick..."

He looked up in a start and cleared his throat a few times before he could form a response.

All that came out was a dry, "Yeah?"

"She's going to be okay you know. She is Dr Catherine Black and she will be okay."

He just shook his head profusely. "No. No she won't. She isn't Dr Catherine Black anymore. The one thing that kept her grounded when all else was in flux was that she could help people. She doesn't have that. No, now she is Catherine Black; a patient - I won't accept it and neither will she."

"What do you expect me to do? She self medicated!"

"Damn it Owen! She thought she had nowhere to turn. Her psychiatrist wasn't there, her ex-fiancé wasn't there, her family wasn't there and neither were we. We are friends and we couldn't be there for her. We are neuroscientists and we couldn't help her fight her neuro-disorder. What does that say about us?"

"What she did was illegal Bick."

"Maybe. But I can tell you one thing that I know with absolute certainty. The world is better with Doctor Black in it. She is the Marco Polo of the brain. She can do in one week what it will take other Doctors months to do. Now we know and now we can stop her from stopping her medication. But we can't do that if she isn't a doctor - she has nothing else to live for. We also can't do it by second guessing all of her decisions..." He trailed off.

Dr Morley sighed and brushed his palm over his forehead. "I-I-uh I just don't know what I can say Bick. But I also know that now is not the time for all of this. Right now we need her to get better, everything else can come later."

Bick nodded, he definitely agreed. Though he also needed Catherine to have something to live for, something other than work - something like him.

"I was just wondering if you would be up to performing surgery."

"Is it something someone else can't handle?"

Owen shook his head, "then there is no reason for me to leave her." It was then that Owen understood. Doctor Ian Bickman was in love with Doctor Catherine Black. Something he thought neither of them were capable of, that neither of them could feel for each other so strongly. Owen just nodded and proceeded further into the room, placing a chaste kiss on Catherine's forehead. He rounded the bed and placed his hand on Bicks shoulder, "she is going to be okay," he reiterated.

Without a word further he left the room.

Bick sat there for hours more, a nurse bringing him something to eat sporadically. He didn't notice when the door opened once more.

"I heard."

He looked up at her, not expecting her to seek him out. He waited for her to continue, he really didn't want this to draw out.

"You're in love with her."

She repeated her sentiment from several days ago. The only difference is that this time Bick didn't protest - nor did he confirm.

"There is nothing I can do. Is there?" She asked, her doe eyes pleading. _No._

"Carlita..." He trailed off.

"What is it? What is it about her that draws you to her?"

_**Everything. **_

"No obligations, no strings." He reminded her, "What I do outside of the time we spent," emphasizing past tense, "together is not of your concern."

"So that's it, we are done?" She asked - her voice rising slightly.

"That's it." He confirmed. How could he want anything with her when he had Catherine, sweet Catherine who's voice is a sounding melody drumming straight to his heart.

As she turned to leave, Bicks breath hitched. He felt a pressure in his hand. "Catherine, can you hear me?" He asked in anticipation.

Carlita stopped in her tracks and turned around wanting to see if Doctor Black was awake.

A cough gave her the answer

Bick smiled as he saw her lashes flutter to reveal the most amazing green orbs he had ever seen. "Ian?" She scratched out.

"Yeah Cat, no you stay still!" He urged her when she began to move around. "Carlita," he called and Cats unfocused eyes took in the brunette.

"Yes Doctor Bickman?" She stepped forward.

"Do you mind letting Doctor Morley know in around thirty minutes that Doctor Black woke up." It sounded like a question, though they both knew it wasn't posed as one.

With a final nod she exited the room leaving the two doctors alone.

Bick refocused his attention onto Catherine who ceased her tossing and turning with his arm grasping her wrist. "_Hey..."_ He trailed off, his smile evident and lacing his tone.

She smiled, though she soon after grimaced in pain - and Bick reached to press for pain relief but she stopped him, shaking her head.

"What happened?

While she was out Bick received the details of the accident. "What's the last thing you remember?" He wanted to test her memory - though she remembered him, surely a good sign.

"I-I remember that I was heading to the Cube," she looked down at an invisible point on her blanket when she remembered why she was on her way.

"Hey," he stood and carefully caressed her chin, bringing her gaze back to his own. "We will discuss all that later, right now we just need you to get better," his eyes bore into her orbs, "Okay?" He waited until she nodded before he rested on the side of her bed, careful not to jostle her.

"Okay," she reiterated before continuing, "I was on my way here and I was flicking through my phone when I heard the driver cuss. That's all I remember before the pain." She flinched, reliving the memory, "How's the driver?" She asked; concern lacing her tone. Ever the good Doctor Black she is. She is in critical condition herself yet she worries about others.

"He is fine," Bick assures her right away, "But the driver that hit you is in intensive condition." She just nodded as he gauged her reaction.

"What's wrong with him?" Bick proceeded to list his injuries - though it looked bleak, "I suppose I should ask what's wrong with me..."

Bick drew her non-IV hand to his lips and pressed a kiss against it before enclosing it in both of his own warm, large surgeon hands. "Your brain is slightly swelled but nothing that is unmanageable. There was an internal bleed in your stomach, though they managed it rapidly. The metal that was eight millimeters away from your spine is more of a concern, we will only know if it's something that will impair you once we get you about. " By the end his breath was labored, as he was recalling every moment of the surgery - everything that could of gone wrong.

Catherine intertwined her fingers with his, sensing that he needed a moment to collect himself.

When Bick had once again regulated his breathing he shifted onto the bed; placing a chaste kiss on her forehead - his lips lingering there while his eyes involuntarily closed. "You almost died Cat," he whispered.

"I'm still here, I'm still here." She ran her fingers through his blond locks trying to soothe him.

"But I could of lost you Catherine. I could of lost you before I even had you," he pulled back so he could study her face, "it's my fault. If we didn't have enough time, if we weren't lucky this morning it would have been my fault. I was the one who ran from what we have, what we were feeling." Catherine tried to interrupt him but he just waved her hand at her, "no I need to get this out. I know that this is not an ideal time and that I really should get someone in here to look at you. But Catherine I need you to know that we are going to talk about this. Once you are better we have to talk about this. The past sixteen hours have been the longest of my life and I can't go through it again without you knowing that I care for you." He rubbed her hand lightly; "we can leave this here for now. I just need you to know that I am going to be here for you in the upcoming days, okay?" He questioned.

She nodded and they sat there for a little bit, he asking her some questions and testing her vision.

He was helping her out of bed, both nervous about any discomfort she might have due to her back injury when Owen walked into the room.

"Nice to see you awake Doctor Black." He greeted as Bick wrapped his arm around her waist helping her to slowly stand - a cute orderly he would of made.

"Owen," she recognized the voice even though her back was to him. She attempted to stand on her feet but couldn't stop the bout of pain that consumed her, she gripped Bicks bicep in agony.

Bick automatically set her back onto the bed; if Catherine was above saving face then she must be in serious pain. "Do you need something for the pain Catherine?"

She started to shake her head but thought better of it, "Just don't put me to sleep yet," was her concession, "though can you please pass me the prescriptions from my bag?"

He completely forgot that she would need her medication and automatically did a run down on all of the medication she had already been given. "You can't have Lithium." Bickman let her know.

She nodded while Owen cleared his throat and walked around the bed so that she could see him in her peripheral vision.

"Catherine..." He trailed off before resuming eye contact once again, "I am glad you're okay. I really am." She didn't doubt it. Despite recent events, Owen was her friend, her mentor - she knew he cared.

Dr Morley turned to Ian, "it turns out we didn't need you to operate, Dr Langston did a fine job."

Owen knew that he needed to speak with them, but that would come much later. With some wise words he left the room. "Get some rest, both of you."

Bick joined her sitting on the edge of the bed. Catherine moved her head to rest on his shoulder; he brushed her hair aside and placed a kiss to her forehead. "Bick?" She questioned.

He made an affirmative noise and she continued. "Why didn't you operate?"

He cleared his throat a few times, "Kate...when it comes to you I can't be impartial. Since the first time we slept together I have felt more for you than I should have. It was my fault that we stopped what we had going, I was too terrified to let you in. No obligations, no strings - it has always been my motto Catherine. When it comes to you...I wanted to throw it out the window, you make me want to throw it out the window. I feel things for you and now I don't want to run away from them. Which is why I need for you to know where I stand. It is also why I couldn't operate," Ian swallowed, "I couldn't compartmentalize, think of the patient as someone else - someone who didn't try to kill you. "

Turning her head slightly Catherine placed a kiss on the base of his neck, where his own bullet penetrated his previously unmarked flesh. "Redo?" She asked.

"Redo." He confirmed as he palmed her hair.

"Hey Ian?" She felt him nod into her hair, "help me to the bathroom?"

With a chuckle he nodded and stood to his feet, placing both of her hands in his own. He knew her, and he knew this was something she needed to do, with or without the pain.

"Are you sure you don't want a pain killer first?"

"No. I need to do this, then I can sleep."

"Okay Catherine. Easy now.." He cautioned as she attempted to lift off the bed.

"I can do this Bick."

"Hey, hey. I know." He responded as she wrapped her arm around him. It took a few minutes but he finally got her there. "I'll be out here. Let me know it you need anything."

As Doctor Black left the bathroom she gripped his bicep, "you know, if this whole neurosurgeon thing doesn't work out for you - I am sure you will make a great nurse."

"I'm too god-like for that to happen," he quipped as he helped her settle back in the sheets.

"Would it be possible to have that painkiller, and some pants?" She asked.

"I'll have someone come and give you a painkiller right away. As for the pants...I much enjoy seeing your legs, but on second thought I don't need any of the orderlies staring."

"Jealous Dr. Bickman?"

"With you…always." He responded. "Alright I am going to go find a nurse to bring you some more pain medication. What do you need from home so that I can have it here when you wake up."

"I am sorry that this has to fall onto you Bick…"

"Hey," he palmed her hand between his own, "There is nothing in the world I would rather be doing and no one in the world I would rather be doing it with. So give me that list."

After a few minutes Catherine had given him all that she needed from home and with a last brush of his lips against her cheek he left the room and found a nurse to administer the pain medication before he left the hospital.

Once he exited the elevator on Catherine's floor he pulled her keys out from his coat pocket. When he looked up, well…imagine his surprise to see _Mr Cook_ leaning by her door. Feigning ignorance would probably be the best option here, "I am sorry, can I help you?"

"Doctor Bickman," Will sized up the blonde. Who obviously wanted to get into Catherine's apartment – without Catherine. "I am just waiting for Catherine to get home."

There was no way in which Ian could pass this opportunity up, "She won't be home for a few days. I am just here to pack some of her things." His eyebrows rising into his signature smirk. _Let you mind wander there…_

At this, Will pushed off from his spot leaning against the wall and took two menacing steps towards Bick, "I know that we broke up for a few reasons, the main one being her unfaithfulness. Though you how are you able to sleep at night knowing that you bedded an engaged woman."

Bick side stepped him and placed the key in the lock, "I don't sleep much, and Catherine can attest to that. Though…she wouldn't need to had she been satisfied with you."

Before Will could say anything, Ian opened the door and shut it firmly when he was ensconced inside. He paused, taking in her apartment – it was spotless. Though somehow, it looked lived in; as if it was someone's home. He didn't have that at his hotels, and being with Catherine, seeing how she lives – _he wants normal_. The most appealing part about it is that Catherine doesn't want to change him; he wants to change himself for her. She will understand that he works eighteen hour shifts, he will understand that if a patient is critical she will sleep in the hospital, they can both understand that work comes before all.

Drumming his fingers against the granite countertop he paused, Will must of cooked here for her. If they were going to get their new beginning, it had to be somewhere fresh, somewhere uniquely theirs, somewhere they could both call home.

He went to the bedroom and found her small overnight bags in her closet. Picking up the Louis Vuitton bag he placed it on the bed before fitting in all that Catherine requested he bring. Though he must say, going through her undergarments was erotic; he couldn't wait to see those skimpy pieces of lace on her – or on the floor.

Bick added her phone charger for good measure before he turned the lights off and opened the door, happy to find that Will was no longer haunting her hallway.

**-BB- **

_**You put me in a cage**_

_**In the daily maze of flesh and rage**_

_**That I will follow every truth**_

_**I won't let you go**_

_**I want every tomorrow**_

**-BB-**

**I wanted to go further, but I am only half way through where chapter 3 is going to lead. Not much happened in this chapter – hell even Bick and Catherine's talk wasn't done here but some things needed to be said and felt, I feel as if I wrapped that up with a nice neat little bow.**

**Leave reviews, they are food.**


	3. Chapter III

**To my two guest reviewers: Thank you!**

**To ccbluebonnet our talks have kept me sane enough to see this chapter through.**

**A lot of you know I was a little unhappy with this chapter. I still am…but this is how she wrote.**

* * *

**_Lonely days of uncertainty_****_  
_****_They disappear when you're near me_****_  
_****_When you're around my life's worthwhile_****_  
_****_And now I long to see you smile_**

* * *

The next morning Catlita heard the nurses gossiping at the nurses' station, "Doctor Bickman didn't leave her side for the whole day. Only after she slept did he leave. Though not for long, he was back in about an hour."

"I went in to check her stats this morning and she was dressed in pyjamas..."

"Doctor Bickman dressed her?" Another pitched in.

"Yep. Rumor has it that before she left she and Doctor Bickman were a thing..." The girls trailed off as they noticed Dr. Morley approach.

* * *

Catherine felt her mind begin to clear, keeping her eyes closed she was tuning into what her body was telling her. A splitting headache and the intensive beeps from the machines surrounding her helped none. Her legs felt as if they had run a marathon while her back twinges when she moved the wrong way.

Lips ghosted over her palm, "I know you're awake," the unmistakable voice said as he laid a kiss on her palm.

"Good morning Doctor Bickman," she responded, her eyes fluttering open.

Before he could say anything further her phone buzzed, diverting both of their attention. He handed her the device, sighing as he saw the name 'Will' appear on the screen.

She pressed the top button to mute the call and retook Bicks hand in her own. A gesture that she would never know how much it truly meant to him.

"How are you feeling?" He questioned, clearing his suddenly thick throat.

She decided to answer truthfully, "Just a little pain, nothing major. Considering." She waved her other hand to her body.

"Good. It's in my valued judgment as a doctor that we can send you home today, so that you can rest in privacy." _He knew her so well, and that warmed her heart._

He knew that she wouldn't be able to recover properly at the hospital, where people she works with constantly want to stop in and check on her.

"And by home you mean..."

"With me."

_She knew him so well, and it warmed his heart. _

Just then her phone buzzed with a text message. This redirected her attention to her phone. **13 missed calls (Will), 15 text messages (Will**).

"Everything okay Catherine?" Ian asked once he saw the look that took over her face.

"No… Will has been trying-" she was cut off by the sound of the door opening. They both turned their heads in that direction, "Will." She greeted as the man in question stepped through the door. Though her grip on Bickmans hand tightened.

"Oh Catherine, why didn't you tell me that you were in the hospital." He took a few paces forward to her bedside, reaching for her hand.

Catherine removed it from by her side to rest on her lap before he could palm it. "We broke up Will."

"Kate..." He looked hurt, "that's what I wanted to talk to you about. I've been trying to get in touch with you for a month and you brother gave me nothing. The hospital gave me nothing. I heard that you were back and I wanted to speak to you. Yesterday I went to your apartment and when he," he gestured to Bick who had yet to release her hand, "showed up and said you won't be home for a few days I had to come to see you here, in person. Some of the nurses said that you were admitted and I thought-" he stopped abruptly, unsure if Doctor Bickman knew of her condition. Though the minute he saw her he knew she sustained physical injuries – something that had nothing to do with her disorder.

"Will…" She started, "we were done before I left. My time away hasn't changed that. We just don't work well together. I need someone in my life that can understand cancelled dinner plans, that my patients come first. Someone who can understand my disorder and won't judge me for it." She gave him a pointed state.

"So that's it?" He questioned, "you are going to leave me for him?" He motioned to Bick. "After not even a month you are going to whore yourself out to him? You think you have all that with him?"

By this point Bick had had enough, "I think it's time for you to leave." He wouldn't have anyone speak ill of her, especially if it isn't due.

"You can't tell me to leave." Will pointed towards him.

"Yes he can. Even if he didn't, I would. Leave Will. Go have a happy life with someone who can fulfil all of your dreams. That isn't me." One would expect her tone to be laced with bitterness, but nothing other than sincerity and resignation laced her tone.

Will just gave her a resigned sigh and patted her leg, "I'm sorry Catherine." With that he left without further adieu.

"Catherine..." Bick trailed off.

"**No.** I know what I want." She squeezed his hand. She wanted him. With every fiber of her being she wanted him. _She needed him._

Bick gave her his megawatt smile, she chose him. He pressed a kiss to her palm. "Lets get you ready that way we can get you out of here."

Bick removed her IV and wrapped her arm with care. He then proceeded to help her into the shower, washing her body, being mindful of her injuries. He took ample care in drying her, changing her into a pair of loose slacks and a button up sweater.

They carefully made their way to the front of the hospital, staff wishing her well on the way.

"A prescription for antibiotics and oxy," he instructed the nurse at the front, "some gauze and tape too," he requested.

They discharged her without much fuss and Owen met them at lobby, "Catherine. When you feel up to it, we can talk." He gave her a one sided hug and a kiss to the cheek before re-entering the elevator.

Ian placed his palm on the small of her back as he guided her to the elevator, headed to the parking garage.

"Nice car," she motioned to the new Audi once they reached it.

"Thanks. My old one disappeared, needed a replacement." He smirked.

She snickered and allowed him to help her into the car.

Bick got them to his hotel and went up to the room, making her comfortable at the couch at her instance, though the bedroom would be preferable to recuperate.

Having set her bags in the bedroom he joined her back on the couch, after grabbing yet another blanket to lay over her. "Bick I am fine." She insisted as he sat on the coffee table, eyes roaming over her marred skin as his fingers unconsciously clenched.

He didn't speak a word; just taking her palm in his own he intertwined their fingers. "Do you need anything?" He questioned, to which she just shook her head.

"Though maybe we can talk now?" She worried her bottom lip. He responded with a surprised nod as gave her a wide grin. "Sure..."

"I'm sorry..." She started, "I know I should have told you. I knew that if someone from work would catch on it would be you. For so long I tried to fight what we," she motioned between them, "have. We both are not the best when it comes to commitment," he looked to interrupt but she placed a single finger on his lips, "before know. What I said to Will is true. I need to be with someone who understands that what we do comes first; everything else is a secondary concern. I need someone who understands why I don't want the white picket fence and the dog and the kids. Someone who knows I could never be Susie Homemaker. **I have that**. I have that with you." She lowered her finger from his lips and retook his hands in hers. "Whether we last the month, a year or ten. What I know is that in the short time we have spent together, it is the most I have felt like myself in a long time, even when off my medication."

His hands reached up to caress her face before he delicately laid a kiss on her lips, mindful of her injuries.

"My turn?" He asked and laughed as she nodded. "First of all...we are going to last. I just needed to put that out there. Now, onto this," he gestured between them, "I need full disclosure when it comes to your bipolar. If you feel like you are going to go off them I need to know. If you are manic I need to know. If you feel depressed I need to know. I am not trying to keep you Catherine, but I know what non-compliance means and I hope to have several more years with you. Plus, the Marco Polo of the brain has a lifetime of accomplishments to achieve, okay?" He saw that her eyes watered and he pressed a kiss onto her nose as his thumb caught a few of the stray tears. "We both need a new start. Where we are honest with one another, where we are clear about the nature of our relationship. I want to make myself clear. I am in a committed relationship with you Catherine, there is no one I want more." She interrupted him by pressing her lips to his own, her hands reaching up to wrap around his head and wound their way through his blonde hair.

He responded in kind, his hands reaching out to her hips as he shifted himself onto the couch and moved her onto his lap in a single motion.

They broke apart, foreheads touching as Bick reached around them to rearrange the blankets over Catherine again while she kept her arms looped around her neck.

"Just so we are clear. I want the same things Bick. I want them with you." She pressed a kiss to his neck as she leaned into his shoulder.

"A part of this fresh start. I was thinking... We need a new place. Being in a relationship with you puts an axe in my whole no obligations no strings attitude, why not go the whole mile? I need to find an apartment and maybe a fresh start in a new home would be good for you. A new space that you haven't shared with anyone else yet, something we can do together. Really it's only going to be a part-time home for us anyway, given the amount of time we spend at the Cube. Catherine?" He asked when he noticed she didn't say anything in response.

Without meeting his eyes she whispered into his shirt so softly that he almost didn't hear her.

**Almost**.

"I love you."

In that moment Bicks heart soared. _She loved him._ She really loved him back.

He knew she felt a strong affection for him but it pleased him to know that they were on the same page. He flashed her his pearly whites as his hand lightly caressed her chin, forcing her to gaze up at him.

She worried her bottom lip as she began to speak again, "I know that it's soon and that us in a full blown committed relationship is new; I just needed you to know this." She confessed.

She had barely finished before Ian fused their lips together in a feverous clash of teeth and tongues meshing together to fight for dominance.

When they broke apart both were breathing hard and his almond shaped orbs locked onto her brilliant emerald ones. "I love you Catherine."

He repeated her sentiment and he felt her nod, her fears that she was in this alone assuaged.

She loved him.

He loved her.

**_Together_**_, well together they can take on the world_.

She curled into his embrace and he wrapped his taut arms around her lithe frame.

Together they sat there for hours, comfortable silence engulfing the room.

"Let's start."

She broke their silence.

He looked at her in confusion.

"Let's start the apartment hunt," she clarified. _Let's start our future._

He looked down at her in surprise but nonetheless nodded, sliding her off his lap as he went to get his laptop.

Returning he sat on the couch and rested the device on the arm as she settled into his embrace once more.

"I think we can both agree that we are not to fussed about what our apartment looks like?" He asked and her nod was confirmation enough.

"How do you feel about the Upper West side?"

She immediately shook her head, "No. We said a fresh start. My old apartment was on the Upper West side; I want to start anew with you," she reiterated. "How about the Upper East side?" She suggested.

He looked down at her in surprise. "I never took you as the Upper East Side kind of lady Doctor Black."

He realized immediately that he said the wrong thing; they had yet to discuss Owen firing her.

Her eyes adverts downward as her fingers played lightly with the blanket.

"Cat..." He trailed off.

She just shook her head. "I'm never going to be a doctor again," she breathed out. Even from the sound of her voice Bick could tell that she was close to tears.

"Look at me Catherine." His tone commanded and his fingers haunted her efforts with the blanket. **"Look at me." **He repeated when she didn't look up.

This time she looked up at him, slow trails of tears rolling down her face.

"You are and always will be Doctor Catherine Black. You wrote yourself the prescription because you tried to save a patients life, and the only way in which you could of done so was with a clear mind - something that your meds prevent you from doing. I am not stupid Catherine, I know the affects - which means I also know why you go off them occasionally. This makes you a better Doctor. Deep down Owen knows this, right now it's just too fresh for him. I promise he will come around. Okay?" He finished and noticed that her tears increased in quantity. "Shhhh" he soothed - something he never thought himself able to do. Whenever someone was upset, he turned around – despite being a doctor he found it very hard to offer others sympathy, so he avoided those situations. However, with her it came naturally. His first instinct was to protect her when she was hurt, and this definitely qualified.

Several minutes later she regulated her own breathing, in no small part due to his hands rubbing soothing circles on her lower back. "How do you know Bick?" she questioned him.

"Because I know you," he said sincerely, eyes locked onto hers, "I know Doctor Catherine Black and she is here to take the world by storm and dominate the neuro arena. I know you. I love you." He finished.

She rocked against him as her arms wound tightly around his neck, her lips seeking his pulse point and sucking hard, _"Catherine..."_ he warned. He knew that they couldn't be intimate, not with injuries still posing such a serious threat.

"You're no fun," she pouted as he moved his hands to still her hips.

"When you are banged up, you bet your ass I am not," he replied, catching her wide grin at his unintended pun. "And I thought I was incorrigible," he shook his head in mock horror.

She laughed and discontinued her ministrations, instead choosing to settle further into her resting position on his lap.

"Are you hungry?" he asked. Having realized that she had yet to eat all day, and would be due for another round of medication soon.

"Fruit loops?" she asked, already knowing he would refuse her.

"An omelet. You can snack on your sugar infused breakfast throughout the day." She hummed in agreement and he placed the call to room service.

No sooner had he hung up the phone before his cell began to buzz he saw 'Own' pop up onto the screen and picked up immediately.

"Bick." The voice on the other end said.

"I'm here, Owen."

"How's Catherine doing?" Doctor Morley asked in concern.

Ian looked down at the head of amber hair resting close to his heart and pressed a kiss to the top of her head, "She will be fine with some rest."

"Good. I am glad. It makes what I am going to ask you a little easier knowing that she is okay. Would it be possible to come to the hospital for a few hours? A patient here has a blood clot close to the optical nerves. I think it would be best for all parties involved if you perform the surgery."

Bick was about to refuse; he didn't want to leave Catherine on her own for at the very least four hours but she took the phone from his hand and muted it. "Go."

"Catherine…" he started, "I don't want to leave you so soon. You will most likely fall asleep and someone needs to be here to make sure you don't fall into a coma, or suffer from any further brain injuries."

"Bick, I am going to be fine. Like you said I will probably be sleeping. After I eat my healthy and nutritious breakfast that is," she winked at him, "If it will make you feel better have Joey come up and check in on me. I am going to be fine. Now you need to go and be that awesome surgeon, Doctor Ian Bickman, because someone life is at stake and they are counting on you. So go!"

Ian took the phone from her hand and tapped the illuminated mute button, bringing it back up to his ear, "I'm on my way."

He ended the phone call and shifted Catherine off his lap and into the arm of the couch before crouching down in front of her. "I want you to eat the omelet, then afterwards you can eat as you so wish. I am also going to be sending Joey up every two hours to check in on you. Please get some rest Catherine," he leaned up and pressed his lips to her forehead, "Okay?" he questioned.

"Okay," she whispered. Her lips moving to his - engaging him there.

Bick moved from his resting place in front of her to the door, leaving without further incidence.

As he left Catherine blew out a breath. This was the first time she truly was alone since she got back. She had sent her family on a cruise; somewhere they could be away from her and all of her madness, where Esme no longer resented her parents and she may learn to love her as an aunt again. Will wouldn't understand. She didn't regret breaking up with him – he deserved to be happy, and she couldn't give him that. Then there was Ian…Ian who understood her complex nature. Her love for work, her desire to help, her dislike of 'normal' families, and most importantly her disorder. Ian not only understood, but he loved her for who she was. Never in her life had someone said that to her and she believed it to be more true. She truly believed that he would be there for the long run, that they could power through work, life and illness together. Because…

**They are brilliant.**

There are no two ways about it.

Which is why she wasn't terrified about starting a life with him.

Catherine was interrupted from her musings by a knock on the door, "Room Service." Carefully she stood from the couch to open the door, "In the bedroom please," she directed before reaching for a few dollar bills that Ian had on his dressing table, handing it to the young boy.

Catherine went back to the living room to pick up the blankets and Bick's laptop from the couch; bringing them with her to the bedroom. She settled herself onto the bed, draping a single blanket over herself as she plugged the charger into the laptop. She skipped over the box of fruit loops and instead took the lid off of the omelet, for once happy to appease Bick. Pulling the plate into her lap she turned towards the laptop, her fingers moving up and down the mouse pad, scrolling through the various images that appeared with their search preferences. Occasionally she took a few bites of the food before resting the plate on her bedside, swapping it for her medication.

* * *

Ian carefully opened the door to his hotel room, having just received his report from Joey that _his_ beautiful Catherine was asleep.

Dropping his keys onto the nearby counter Bick wandered through the suite to the bedroom. He paused at the doorframe leaning against it. There she was. Hair fanned out over the pillow, she was slightly turned in on herself with her hand resting onto his laptop.

_She looked beautiful._

And she loved him.

**She loved him.**

Pushing himself lightly off the doorframe he sauntered towards the bed, smiling at the unopened box of Fruit loops resting on the bedside table. He reached over her small body to pick up the laptop, his fingers accidentally brushed over the mouse pad. Catherine had it open on an apartment. From the looks of it, it appeared to be a modern penthouse with five bedrooms. What she thought they would use five bedrooms for he didn't know. He scrolled through the pictures of the apartment and his eyes caught onto what caught her attention. A sunroom that faced east completely made of glass with an inbuilt nook. This is what attracted her to it. He now wanted it too, for the sole purpose that it would make her happy. It's not like they spent hours at home anyway and money wasn't an issue. However if he could do this small thing for her, for them – it made no difference.

Taking note of the details he powered down the laptop, letting it rest on the bedside before he readjusted the blanket around her. He sat on his side of the bed to remove his shoes, and only when sitting down did he realize how tired he actually was. He removed his clothing in short succession and changed into a pair of grey pyjama pants before crawling into bed beside her. He lay on his side as he watched his beauty sleep.

Not aware of when he actually joined Catherine in the calming abyss of sleep.

* * *

**_Happiness_****_  
_****_Feels like this;_****_  
_****_Your heart upon your sleeve._**

* * *

**What do we think? Let me know and please do leave reviews. I know that at least 15 of you out there read my stories.**

**I thought of waiting to post this until I was more set on where Chapter 4 goes. However, I thought this would appease the masses for a while. You might just get another one shot before Chapter 4.**


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